"It will soon be very difficult for the Dutch to support Visma" - Dutch ex-pro dissatisified as the top team gradually abandons its Dutch roots
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike recently unveiled its Tour de France pre-selection centered around the only man who can challenge Tadej Pogacar - Jonas Vingegaard. But what's more striking for home fans of the Dutch team is that not a single Dutch rider made the preliminary nomination.
"At Rabobank, the whole of the Netherlands supported the team," Michale Boogerd, a winner of two Tour stages told Nieuwsblad. "I wonder what it will be like now. The general public wants to see their fellow countrymen. It will soon be very difficult for the Dutch to support Visma,” Boogerd, himself a former Rabobank rider, concluded.
Besides obviously Jonas Vingegaard, there's also Brit Simon Yates, Frenchman Christophe Laporte, two Americans Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson and three Belgians Wout Van Aert, Tiesj Benoot and Victor Campenaerts at the early list. Naturally the sport of cycling is unpredictable and a lot can change until the July but for the moment there's not much hope for a sudden change of plans either.
It doesn't appear that neither the experienced climbers Steven Kruijswijk and Wilco Kelderman, nor previous year's last-minute substitute Bart Lemmen nor Olav Kooij (who is heading to the Giro) seem to be in the consideration. Dylan van Baarle has been struggling with weight for a long time and whether he shall enter the battle for Tour de France spots will depend on whether he can return close to his best during the spring.
"That says a lot about the state of our racing," Boogerd told Nieuwsblad. "It's not normal, it's actually extremely unfortunate. It's just business. How can we still call this team the flagbearer of Dutch cycling?" he asked rhetorically.
However, team boss Richard Plugge had no time for such patriotic sentiments, despite being Dutch himself. "I just want to win the Tour," he told Wielerflits. "If we have more chance of doing so with foreign riders, then so be it. "With the eight riders we have chosen, we are best able to win the Tour."
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 55visitors 4
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling forRafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment